City of Blinding Lights
by nikki.anjo
Summary: Modern AU Phillip and Aurora are two college students living a forbidden love. For Valentine's, they decide to spend the weekend in NYC. Instead of just having fun, however, they come to realize why they actually fell in love...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Well, here's something weird... a fanfic about an RP which, when you think of it, is a fanfic too! So... this is a fanfic about a fanfic! :D Brilliant._

_Anyway, for any occasional non-B&S readers, I'll provide you with a small background. :) Over at the Bittersweet & Strange forum, we have an ongoing RP called "Disney College" which, as I'm sure you've guessed, is an alternative universe where Disney characters go to college. Phillip is a senior, and the current resident advisor of a group of freshmen. Aurora Hale is one of those freshmen, and after some time the two became a couple (long and complicated story, but it's actually explained along this small one-shot! _

_Belonging to a wealthy family in Chicago, Phillip is... well, wealthy. For Christmas he decided to offer Aurora a unique experience: to watch the Phantom of the Opera broadway musical in no other than NYC. They decided to take the trip on Valentine Weekend, because... well, it was convenient for me. :P_

_This was supposed to be a Valentine surprise for my RP partner, phoenixsoul13 (who plays Aurora in the RP), but we ended up writing it together. :) I really had fun with it, and I hope she did too!_

_As always, my "one-shots" ended up being quite long, so I've decided to split this up into three chapters._

_I hope it's not confusing, and, most importantly, I hope you enjoy it! :)_

* * *

**You, Me, and New York City**

by N. Anjo

Aurora and Phillip © Disney

Dedicated to Ariana (phoenixsoul13).

As Aurora stepped out onto West 44th street, her lungs filled up with the hot air of Manhattan. For years she had dreamed of visiting this city. Just like every small-town girl, Aurora Hale had been born and raised in Greenville, a forgotten place in Ohio where the biggest attraction was a memorial park with seven fishing lakes. She had fantasized with grand buildings surrounded by hundreds of people and lights, and wondered why New York City was also known as the 'city that never sleeps'.

Now, she finally understood why. No matter what time of the day it was, what day of the week or what time of the year… New York City was always bubbling with life, noise, energy, lights and music. Behind every corner a small stall sold pretzels and drinks to make sure no one ever went hungry or thirsty. Everywhere there were posters and banners suggesting things to do, places to see, and items to buy. The air was warm despite the February cold and it seemed like every street had its own characteristic smell. West 44th Street was no exception. As Aurora slowly closed her eyes and inhaled, she could sense the sweet smell of popcorn coming from right around the corner.

"Well, what did you think of the show?" said a deep voice. Aurora felt the same person put an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. She immediately knew who it was. Her arm slipped around Phillip's waist as she looked up at him and smiled.

"It was wonderful," she replied with a happy sigh. "I still feel like I'm walking on clouds and singing on stage with them!"

Phillip chuckled. "Well, I figured that if I was going to take you to your first show, I'd might as well take you to see the longest running hit on Broadway… _ever_!"

Aurora turned herself around to face him and lifted herself onto her tiptoes. "You spoil me too much," she teased before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Phillip smiled in response. "Well… it has its advantages." He glanced at his watch. "I can't believe it's ten o' clock already. Are you hungry?"

Aurora shook her head as she turned around again and held Phillip's hand. "Not really. Dinner was rather filling!"

"Hm, I agree," Phillip nodded. They had had dinner at _The Olive Garden_ before going to the show and chosen that restaurant because Aurora had raved on about their vegetarian dishes (as much as Phillip had been craving a real burger). However, right now he was craving something completely different. "I am in desperate need of a coffee," he told Aurora.

"Of course," Aurora replied with a small smile. "For some reason, that does not surprise me", she teased.

They walked down to the nearest Starbucks hand-in-hand while they discussed their impressions about the show. _The Phantom of the Opera_ held a very strong meaning in their relationship. It was one of the first things they discovered they had in common. They often stayed up late discussing their favorite characters and imagining new plot twists. "That's All I Ask Of You" was the song that Phillip sung in Aurora's ear when he lacked the courage to tell her he still had feelings for her. It was therefore no surprise when Phillip presented Aurora with two tickets to see _Phantom of the Opera_ on Broadway as a Christmas gift last year, and they had decided to take the trip during Valentine Weekend.

After Phillip ordered a café latte and a caramel macchiato for Aurora, he collected their drinks and found a small table by the window for him and Aurora. Ever the gentleman, he pulled the chair out for her then took his own seat. "I still think," he said, continuing their previous conversation, "that Christine made the right choice by choosing Raoul."

Aurora thanked Phillip with a smile as he handed over her drink then shook her head at his remark. "Even if she didn't truly love him?" she asked defiantly.

Phillip sighed softly, already anticipating their usual argument rising. "Why would she _not_ love him? He had everything to offer her! Wealth, security, devotion, prestige…"

"Yes, but…" Aurora cupped her hands around her coffee mug and felt the warmth penetrate her skin. "Christine and the Phantom shared a special connection. He taught her how to release her true potential and opened many doors for her!"

Phillip leaned forward and whispered, "He was a stalker." He smirked, knowing that this particular observation always set Aurora on fire. As expected, she rolled her eyes at him.

"He was not a stalker! He simply… lived in isolation for a very long time!" she argued. "He didn't know any better. Could you imagine living in the darkness of those dungeons almost all your life? After being abused and treated like… like… like a _beast_!" Her tone grew slightly agitated. She raised her mug closer to her lips and allowed the warmth to soothe her.

"He kidnapped Christine," Phillip insisted after taking a small sip of his latte. "That's hardly a good way to prove your love to someone."

"He didn't kidnap her – she would have gone with him anyway! And besides, aren't _you_ one to talk?" Aurora scoffed. "You did the same to me!"

Phillip feigned a deep, tired sigh. "Here we go again."

Aurora was already on a roll. "I had nothing to do with your little game with Mulan and Hercules, yet you dragged me into the storage room anyway!" It wasn't the first time that she brought this to his attention. Months ago, at a Halloween Party, Phillip had dressed up as Zorro and taken advantage of the fact that no one had recognized him to spice up the party with his silly antics. Such antics included dancing a sensual tango with Esmeralda, having a swordfight with Mulan on top of one of the tables and, at some point, using Aurora as a hostage against her. He had inclusively dragged Aurora – disguised as the Little Red Riding Hood – into the storage room and mischievously locked them inside.

Phillip tilted his head with a small smirk. "It was not my fault," he pointed out. "It was _Zorro's_."

Aurora shook her head with a sigh, as if she had already anticipated Phillip's comeback.

"Besides," he continued, "say whatever you like… I still think you enjoyed it." He paused. "Well, at least that's what Zorro tells me. In fact, he talks about you all the time and says he would lock himself inside a storage room with you over and over again."

Aurora tried to hide her smile but failed miserably. She disguised it by taking a small sip of her macchiato, forgetting about the huge mountain of cream that hadn't yet melted. As she lowered her mug again, a small stain of white cream remained on the tip of her nose. "You seem to know Zorro quite well."

Phillip grinned, though he wasn't sure if it was because of Aurora's remark or because of the cream on her nose. "We're good friends…" he trailed off, trying not to stare at Aurora's nose or laugh madly. "But, anyway!" He cleared his throat awkwardly as he discreetly began pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Raoul."

Aurora shook her head. "Erik." She noticed Phillip taking out his phone but paid no attention to it, assuming he was going to text his father or one of his friends.

"You _do_ realize that Christine chose Raoul in the end, don't you?" Phillip reminded her as he pretended to write a text message on his phone. In truth, he had switched to the camera mode and was discreetly trying to get a picture of Aurora with her creamy nose.

"Yes, but only because it was the safest thing to do," Aurora argued, completely oblivious to Phillip's true intentions. "I believe her heart truly belonged to Erik."

"The stalker?" _Almost in position…_

Aurora sighed. "No, the poor repressed man who was forced to hide from the world all his life!" Before she could continue, Aurora heard a strange familiar noise. _Clack_. She eyed Phillip skeptically as a wide grin grew on his face. A few seconds later, it finally hit her. "Are you… are you taking pictures?" She looked around and behind her to see if there was anything interesting going on, but the table behind her was empty and nothing in the room sparked her interest. When she turned to Phillip again, he was already leaning forward, his face mere inches away from hers.

"I simply think you're the most beautiful girl in the world," he said with a small naughty smile.

Aurora grew even more suspicious. She reached out her hand to grab Phillip's phone, but he pulled it away before she could get to it. "What are you hiding?"

Phillip grinned. "Well, you know how you're always blackmailing me with that sappy letter I wrote to you when we first started dating?"

"That's _hardly_ blackmailing," Aurora retorted defensively. "And I don't _always_ do it," she added quietly. Phillip had written her a romantic later a couple of days after they started dating each other in secret almost six months ago, where he claimed that he would never let anything come between them. Two days later, he ended their relationship abruptly, arguing that 'it was not right' for a resident advisor to date a freshman, and that he didn't want her to suffer the consequences of peer pressure. She always kept the letter, and when they got back together again after the Halloween Party (almost two months later), she had shown it to him and teased him about his cold feet. Phillip always laughed about it and playfully accused Aurora of cruelly reminding him of his mistakes.

"Well, either way," Phillip replied nonchalantly, "next time you show me that letter, _I'll_ show you… this!" He showed her the phone screen and smirked.

Aurora saw the picture of herself and immediately drew her attention to the white spot on her nose. "Why, it's…" Her cheeks turned pink. "Oh, Phillip," she murmured, automatically grabbing a napkin from the tray. "Why couldn't you just tell me?"

"No, don't!" Phillip interjected, grabbing her hand before she could wipe the cream off her nose. He used the occasion to pull her closer and gave her a small kiss on the nose, simultaneously wiping off the cream. Before pulling back, he gave her a soft kiss on the lips and smiled. "I've always… _always_ wanted to do that."

"Well, now that you have," Aurora replied with a small smile, "you can erase that photo from your phone."

Phillip sat back and admired his screen. "Or not," he joked. "In fact, I like this picture so much… I just might set it as my new screensaver!" He pressed a few buttons then smiled triumphantly. "There! All done." He slipped his phone back into his pocket and picked up his mug again. "Now, where were we?"

Aurora let out a small sigh as she wiped her nose with a napkin just to make sure she got all the cream off. She made a mental note to borrow Phillip's phone later and get rid of the embarrassing photograph. "We were discussing the show."

"Of course." Phillip took a long sip of his café latte then exhaled with a satisfied moan. "I loved the costumes."

"Oh, and the music!" Aurora sighed happily. "I could feel their emotions sliding into me with every word and every tune," she described enthusiastically. "Oh, and when the Phantom sang 'Music of the Night', I almost shed a tear!"

Phillip grinned. "I think my favorite song was 'Point of No Return'. So much… _passion_!"

They continued to discuss the show – among other things – for almost an hour, until Phillip noticed the time and suggested they head back to the hotel. As they stepped out onto Times Square, the streets were still buzzing with movement and some people walked around handing out flyers that advertised a new club that had just opened, or a bar that was said to be the most popular in the city.

It seemed that the air had grown colder while they were inside, and now as Phillip inhaled he could feel the icy air freeze his lungs. He quickly pulled his gloves out of his pocket and put them on, then rubbed his hands together and looked at Aurora. "Shall I get a cab?"

Aurora studied her surroundings as she rubbed her arms. Their hotel was located right in front of Madison Square Garden, which meant it was only about a twenty-five minute walk away from where they stood now. She was so entranced by the bubbling life of the city that the thought of getting into a cab almost pained her. She looked up at Phillip and smiled faintly. "No, lets walk." She held out her hand to him.

Phillip took her hand with a smile and started walking down the street. They walked really slowly, as if neither of them were anxious to get back to the hotel so soon. Everywhere Aurora looked there were shops and restaurants, brightly illuminated with flashing lights to attract customers. Up on the roofs there were signs advertising Broadway shows, movies and musicians, while the streets were decorated with bright yellow cabs that dashed back and forth in every direction. Aurora was mesmerized by all this, while Phillip kept his eyes on the ground, apparently lost in thought. She gently tugged his arm. "What is Chicago like?" she asked him. "Is it busy and noisy like this too?"

Phillip looked up for the first time. "Chicago?" Her question seemed to have caught him off guard. He studied his surroundings for a moment before answering. "Well, it's no New York City, but we have a good nightlife too. In the early frontier days, Chicago was known to have the best nightlife in the United States," he stated proudly. "Tourists still love our groundbreaking improvised jazz and energetic dance beat of 1980s house music." He paused. "What about Greenville?" He knew it was a silly question, considering he had been to Greenville before and knew it was a quiet little town. However, listening to Aurora talk about her life there felt almost… comforting.

Aurora sighed. "It's… calm," she confessed. "I suppose it's just different all together. In Greenville we don't really go out much. We prefer to stay at home and play games while we drink hot chocolate by the fireplace." She looked up at Phillip. "I suppose going to a pajama party was our definition of 'going out'!"

Phillip chuckled softly. "Well, if you ask me, I think it sounds lovely." Phillip didn't exactly have the picture-perfect family life, nor did he ever have many intimate friends. In a way, it made him envy Aurora a little. His father was a wealthy lawyer and politician in Chicago who spent most of his time in meetings and conferences. Even on weekends there was always a formal dinner to go to or a charity event to attend. Most of the times Phillip was dragged to these social gatherings by his father, who took advantage of every occasion to show off his 'bright, handsome and _single_ son', who would one day 'take over his empire'. Phillip had never enjoyed the attention he received or the way his father constantly labeled him, but he stuck through every dinner and every charity event because it was the closest he'd ever be to spending quality time with his own father. However, his secret desire to step away from his father's shadows and build his own life and reputation was what motivated Phillip to apply to Disney College. He had been there for four years now, achieving most of the goals he had set for himself: he was loved and respected by his peers and professors, a good academic, an excellent sportsman, a resident advisor, and a young man with a curriculum that many envied. Most importantly, he was no longer known as Hubert Van Dyke's son. He was Phillip Van Dyke... or simply, Phillip.

But something was missing. Something was _always_ missing. Phillip felt like a pilgrim at a crossroad, not knowing which road to take because he was unaware of his own destination. Until, one day, he met Aurora Hale.

The same girl who made Phillip hate himself for wanting her so badly was now wrapping her arm around his as they walked down a slightly less crowded street of Manhattan. "I would like to go to Chicago one day," she confessed, pulling Phillip away from his thoughts. "I want to see for myself all the places you have told me about… and Samson!" Her face lit up as she recalled the many tales Phillip had told her about his horse, Samson. "I would most definitely love to meet him."

Phillip smiled as he put his arm around Aurora's shoulders. "You shall, soon enough," he told her. "Samson is dying to meet you too. Though you ought to be careful with him – he's rather jealous of you."

Aurora frowned in confusion. "Jealous? Of _me_?"

Phillip nodded. "I'm sure that when he meets you, he'll understand why I talk about you all the time," he continued jovially.

Aurora tilted her head with a small smile, resting it against Phillip's shoulder. "Well, it's only fair, I suppose. After all, if you had to deal with Roxy, then I have no choice but to figure out a way to get Samson to like me too."

Phillip almost let out a sigh when Aurora mentioned her friend's name. Roxana, whom her friends called Roxy, reminded Phillip of a fire-breathing dragon that guarded the highest tower of a castle where a beautiful princess was waiting for her prince. He recalled the time he drove down to Greenville to surprise Aurora on New Year's Eve, having spent most of the night trying to impress Roxy and get into her good books. To this day, he still didn't know if he had succeeded. In fact, deep down inside, he felt that Roxy still saw him as the devil in disguise. It was a good thing that Disney College was far, _far_ away from Greenville… and Roxy.

Aurora pulled him away from his thoughts once again. "What about your father? I would much like to meet him too!"

This time, Phillip really sighed. "My father is more stubborn than Samson! He has known about our trip here for weeks, yet this morning he _still_ called me and asked me why I wasn't going home for the weekend. When I reminded him I was spending Valentine Weekend with you, he…" Phillip shook his head with a groan, unable to finish his sentence. "He drives me insane!"

Aurora stopped in her steps and turned Phillip around until they were facing each other. "When I told my aunts about you, Aunt Flora told me to be careful and, since then, phoned me three times a week asking if you had done anything to harm me yet." She shook her head with a small smile. "She asked me millions of questions about you, and Aunt Mary Weather made me e-mail her a dozen pictures of you."

Phillip gasped. "You told me you were going to send those photos to a casting director in Hollywood!" he joked. He paused, then added, "And hold on, if you sent Mary Weather pictures of me, then how come she hit me with a broom on our first encounter?"

Aurora laughed, just like she always did when Phillip mentioned that New Year's Day episode. After Phillip drove to Greenville from Chicago to surprise her, she had insisted that he sleep at her place before driving back home the next day. Phillip had finally agreed to sleep on the couch that night, not knowing that the following morning he would be awakened by Mary Weather's broomstick. Later they discovered that she had not recognized him, for not only was it dark in the living room, but Phillip had been sleeping under the blankets.

Aurora gently punched Phillip on the shoulder. "My point _is_… After they met you and saw in you what _I_ see in you, Aunt Flora stopped calling me three times a week and Aunt Mary Weather keeps asking me when we're getting married."

Phillip smirked. "I know. She sent me a message on Facebook… including a link to an online store that sells engagement rings. I'm… sort of starting to feel the pressure," he teased with a chuckle.

This time Aurora was the one to gasp, though, unlike Phillip, she wasn't joking. "She…" The girl blinked a few times before shaking her head. "Oh, Aunt Mary Weather! She was never capable of minding her own business! I've _told_ her to stop being so silly!"

Phillip laughed. "It's quite all right. I'm just glad she likes me enough to consider me worthy of _marrying_ you. But, of course, I've politely explained to her that it's… _slightly_ too early to start thinking of such things. Not only that, but my father would probably kill me before I even had the chance to buy you a ring!" he laughed.

Aurora laughed with him, though it felt rather unsettling to know that Phillip's father still disapproved of their relationship. She was unable to erase such a thought from her mind, and for that reason her laughter died out very quickly… or at least quick enough for Phillip to notice.

He gently tucked a wisp of hair behind Aurora's ear. "I would love for you to meet my father," he said. "There's an important event in Chicago next month, I think. My father has been going on about it for days now. I've been trying to come up with a million excuses not to go, but…" He shrugged. "Maybe it won't be so bad if you come with me."

Aurora searched Phillip's eyes as he finished speaking. "An event? In _Chicago_?"

Phillip nodded. "It's some sort of formal gala for another charity fund…" He shrugged. "The usual." He slipped his arm over her shoulders and continued walking down the street. "You don't have to worry about the trip, of course," he told her reassuringly. Unlike Phillip, Aurora came from a middle-class family with a relatively low income. He knew she was pondering getting a part-time job just so that she could help pay off the tuition fees. "You're my special guest," he said to her with a smile. "I'll make sure you're treated like a princess."

"But…" Aurora looked down hesitantly and watched Phillip's feet as they walked along. "I… I've never been to a formal gala," she confessed quietly. "I wouldn't have a clue on what to do! I… I don't really _belong_ with those crowds."

Phillip shrugged. "There's nothing to it, Aurora," he said nonchalantly. "It's all about appearances and saying the right things to the right people… at the right time. They call it a charity event but, in all honesty, it's just an excuse for rich men to get together and think up ways to become even richer, while the women flaunt their new dresses and jewels."

Aurora frowned at Phillip's description of the event. It reminded her of a world that she thought only existed in movies. Sometimes it still confused her to know that Phillip – the ever so modest gentleman who opened doors for her and surprised her with home-cooked meals – belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Chicago. She hadn't figured it out until he told her himself, and even since then he had never talked very openly about his background. The fact that Phillip was inviting Aurora into 'his' world was both exciting and unnerving. His wealth had always been irrelevant to her – she loved him for who he was, and not what he had – but his background was always something Aurora longed to know more about. She had known him for over six months now, but he still remained mysterious to her.

"I don't understand," she told him softly, thinking of the obnoxious people Phillip had described. "You're nothing like them. Why would you go to these events _any_way?"

Phillip sighed deeply, as if the question sounded extremely familiar to him. In truth, he had asked himself the same thing many times before. "These events are very important for politicians, lawyers… and people who aspire to one day become influential politicians themselves," he added pointedly. "These galas provide excellent networking opportunities and… well, I can't complain about the food either! In truth, the night would actually be quite bearable if it weren't for my father constantly trying to fix me up with his friends' daughters…"

Aurora was starting to get the picture. She glanced at Phillip before slipping one hand into her pocket and staring down at her own feet. "So… if _I _happened to go, then…"

"Well, for one I wouldn't have to dance with their daughters," he replied with a small smile. "Secondly, it would hopefully make my father see that you're not just a crush. And _thirdly_…" They walked a few steps in silence before Phillip concluded. "We'd be together. That alone seems like a good enough reason for you to accept my invitation."

Aurora tilted her head thoughtfully. "When did you say this was?"

"Sometime next month," Phillip replied. "I'm not too sure of the date, but I can let you know once we get to the hotel. I'm too lazy to pull my Blackberry out right now," he added with a small smile.

Aurora was silent for a while, pondering Phillip's request. "Well… you _did_ sit through an entire lunch with me and my aunts in Greenville..."

Phillip laughed. "It was a pleasure, really. I love your family!" He smiled to himself as he recalled that pleasant afternoon he spent with Aurora and her aunts. They were wonderful people, and nothing like Van Dyke family that only cared about taking advantage of his father's good will and building their own little fortunes. Phillip couldn't even recall ever being invited for tea!

Aurora looked up at Phillip and smiled. "I'd love to go," she finally told him, slipping her hand around his waist. "But you'll have to give me extra dance lessons before then so that I don't make a complete fool out of myself!"

Phillip chuckled. "You're an excellent dancer already," he reassured her.

"And you must tell me more about your father so that I can cause the best impression on him," Aurora added worriedly.

They both reached an intersection and stopped when they noticed that the pedestrian light was red. Phillip took a step back and pulled Aurora with him. He knew well that the cab drivers in this city were slightly insane. Even when one was quietly standing on the pavement at the side of the street, the cars raced by fast enough to question security. "I have a feeling," Phillip told her as they waited for the light to turn green, "that as soon as my father sees you, he's going to take back everything he ever said about us and tell me that I'm the luckiest man in the world. He and your aunt Mary Weather will probably become good friends."

Aurora chuckled at the thought. "That sounds awfully dangerous."

Phillip nodded. "I agree. We ought to be careful!" He paused for a moment, then added, "My father is also most likely to try and convince you to become a lawyer."

Aurora shook her head. "Why?" She had gone to Disney College because they offered a good biology program which would help set her on the right track to fulfilling her childhood dream: becoming a veterinarian. Like every teenager, though, Aurora had recently begun to consider different possibilities. Being a lawyer, however, had never crossed her mind.

"My father is convinced that advocacy is the best career in the world," Phillip explained with a small sigh. "He'll probably tell you the story of how my great-grandfather was the greatest lawyer of all times. He started the family firm which my father now runs today, so you can imagine how important it is to him. But don't worry… I've already told him that you want to become a vet one day. If you ask me, I think it's a wonderful career choice."

The lights turned green and Aurora hooked her arm around Phillip's again. "Is that why you want to go to Harvard?" she asked after a few seconds of silence. "So you can one day take over your father's firm?"

Even as they crossed the street, Phillip looked right and left to make sure they weren't being threatened by a lunatic driver. "That's the plan," he replied bluntly. "My grandfather, my father _and_ my uncle studied at Harvard too. It's almost like a family tradition."

"But…" Aurora looked down thoughtfully, trying to glue the pieces together. "You still have three years left to study at Harvard before you get your diploma. If your father wins the elections next week… who will take over the firm?"

Phillip sighed. "My uncle." He left it at that, already starting to feel uncomfortable and edgy about the subject.

Aurora waited, hoping Phillip would evolve more and share his plans for the future, but he seemed keen to drop the topic and move on. She had come to notice that whenever Phillip talked about Harvard and his destiny as the head of his father's firm, he got slightly uptight and talked rather brusquely. She watched him from the corner of her eye, already anticipating that in a few seconds he would try to change the subject.

"Are you enjoying your classes so far?" Phillip's tone had grown slightly cheerful again, as if he had completely forgotten what they had been talking about.

"Hmm-mm," Aurora hummed. "Most of them are fun." She looked up at Phillip. "What about you?"

"They're… all right," he said. "It… feels awfully strange to know that this is my last semester as an undergraduate, though."

Aurora muscles tensed a bit after Phillip finished speaking. Despite his maturity, Aurora tended to forget that Phillip was four years older than her and was almost done with college, whereas she had just begun. The age difference had never been an obstacle… quite on the contrary! Phillip's maturity combined Aurora's innocence provided them with a nicely-balanced relationship, even though a lot of people still wondered how they managed to make it work.

Phillip was the perfect gentleman – refined, educated and diplomatic – with the heart of a teenage boy who still had his whole life ahead of him. He was jovial and outgoing despite his secretive nature, but it was often said that what his professors most admired in him was his quick-thinking and devotion. When Phillip wanted something, he did everything he could (and could not) do to get it. Aurora, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved. Often shy during first encounters, she was not one to open up to anyone until she had earned the person's trust. Having been brought up by three elder women who barely knew a world existed outside Greenville, Aurora had turned into a modest hard-working young woman, yet one who still fantasized about a prince charming and magic fairytales. Going to Disney College had opened up new horizons for her, and meeting Phillip… well, meeting him had downright turned her life upside down.

Their relationship was not perfect, though. Sometimes, Aurora and Phillip could be found arguing over a meaningless thing at the cafeteria, or yelling at each other over a silly misunderstanding. Their different upbringings provided them with different views and perspectives, and the more Aurora got to know Phillip, the more confident she felt to stand up for her own beliefs and argue against him. He didn't mind this at the least, and in return stimulated her by provoking her with his thoughts and assumptions.

However, no matter how they hard they fought with each other or what they argued about, Aurora and Phillip always managed to look past their differences and love each other for who they were. There was a rule that stated that they were unable to stay mad at each other for more than twenty four hours. Only once had they broken that rule. Despite that, the two considered themselves lucky to have found each other. Against all odds, their relationship kept growing stronger.

They walked for another two minutes in almost utter silence, moving in zig-zags to avoid bumping into the people who were coming in the opposite direction. At some point, people began to open their umbrellas and quickly run into coffee shops and souvenir stores. Noticing the commotion, Phillip looked up and frowned. "Oh, drats! It's snowing," he said. "We better get a cab from here – I don't want you getting sick again!" He quickly let go of Aurora's hand and ran to the street curb. He held out his hand and skimmed the streets frenetically in search of a yellow cab. "Why is it that when we most need a cab, they're never here?" he remarked loudly, keeping his eyes on the street. Almost a minute later, a cab finally pulled over on the side of the street. Phillip opened the door and greeted the driver hurriedly. "Pennsylvania Hotel," he said. Finally he stepped back and opened the door fully for Aurora to get inside.

As he looked up, however, his heart stopped. Aurora was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Upon realizing that Aurora was out of sight, Phillip apologized to the driver and quickly closed the door of the cab. Within seconds, the car had set off too, the tires screeching against the black tar road. Phillip ran his fingers through his hair with a worried sigh as his eyes searched the crowds for Aurora. The pavement was filled with people walking in every direction, most of them brisk-walking in attempt to reach their destination sooner to avoid the snow that now fell from the sky. Phillip tried calling out Aurora's name, but in vain. Instead of hearing her response, all he received were strange looks from the people who passed by. At last, he decided to squeeze himself through the crowd in attempt to find her. His heart lifted every time he spotted a blonde young woman or heard a female voice, but each and every time he was deceived by his own illusions.

As the seconds passed, his heart grew heavier with worry. "Aurora!" he called out, but still no response. "Aurora, where are you?"

The snow fell with more intensity now, obstructing Phillip's vision partially and making his nose and cheeks feel sore from the cold. He kept muttering words like "Excuse me" and "Forgive me" as he accidentally bumped into people, but after some time gave up because his thumping heart made it too hard to speak.

He stopped when he saw a man leaning against the lamp post and brushing the flakes of snow off his coat. "Excuse me, sir," Phillip panted. "Have you seen a young woman within the last few minutes? She's not very tall but she's slim, long blonde hair, dark blue eyes…"

The man shook his head. "Sorry, kid. Let me know when you find her, though. Every man's looking for a girl like that."

Phillip eyed the man, but quickly erased any possessive thoughts from his mind. "Thank you," he said hastily before turning around and praying to God he'd see Aurora. In return, however, he saw no one but some random tourists still walking across the pavement and some of the vendors hurriedly trying to protect their things from the snow. "God dammit, where have you gone?" he muttered to himself.

He pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He had no text messages or missed calls, which meant that Aurora hadn't tried to contact him yet. At that moment a short chubby woman darted right past him. "Excuse me, ma'am! I'm looking for a-" He would have continued, had the woman not shot a glare at him then hurriedly continued her way. Phillip sighed, beginning to worry if he had come running in the right direction or not. He checked his Blackberry again then slipped it back into his pocket before continuing brisk-walking down the street. He looked back and side-ways in search of Aurora, finding that it was easier now since the streets had become slightly emptier. When he found himself enough space, he began to run.

Only five minutes had gone by, but already Phillip had run far enough to realize that he had lost his mind. There was no way Aurora could have come this far. He pulled out his phone and tried to call her again, but her phone continued without a signal. He turned around and started running back, until he stood exactly where he had last seen her. Running his fingers through his long thick hair, Phillip let out a sigh and tried to calm himself by slowly looking around and carefully eyeing each and every person to make sure he didn't accidentally miss Aurora.

Having not found her, Phillip pulled out his Blackberry once more and speed-dialed Aurora's number. He pressed the phone against his ear and waited for it to ring as he looked around. Suddenly, his eyes rest on the corner of the street where an old woman stood trying desperately to open her umbrella. Phillip held up his call and quickly shoved his phone in his pocket as he hurried over to the woman. "Do you need help, ma'am?" he asked politely, reaching out his hand.

The woman looked up at him, her face filled with wrinkles and her gray hair tucked nicely underneath her black beanie. "Oh, I… I can't seem to get it open!"

Phillip took the umbrella and inspected it for a moment before figuring out how it worked. "It appears to be stuck, actually. But here, let me just give it a slight… push!" Phillip used his strength to force the umbrella open. He then gave it an once-over glance to make sure nothing was broken before handing it back to the woman with a faint smile. "There you go, ma'am."

"Oh, wonderful!" The woman took back the umbrella and held it over her head. "Why, thank you _so_ much!"

Phillip nodded in response, realizing for the first time that the woman spoke in a British accent. Had this been any other time, he would have stopped and made conversation with her, asking where she was from, and if she was enjoying New York City. But right now, his mind couldn't stop worrying about Aurora.

"You're standing in the snow!" the woman pointed out with a hint of concern in her voice. "You seem awfully worried too. Is there anything I can do to return the favor?"

Phillip sighed. "I think I've lost my girlfriend." It sounded horrible now that he said it.

"Oh, now isn't that awful! But, rest assured! Surely a lovely man such yourself will not be troubled to find himself another kind lady…"

Phillip shook his head and wiped the condensed snowflakes off his forehead. "No, no. I mean I _literally_ lost her. Just minutes ago she was standing here, and now she's nowhere to be seen!" His face lightened up slightly when he recognized a new hope in the woman's face. "Perhaps… perhaps you've seen her?" Phillip went on to describe Aurora, ready to share every detail with the woman. To his surprise, however, the woman stopped him before he could finish his first sentence.

"The woman you describe sounds awfully familiar to someone I just saw standing somewhere over there…" She turned around and pointed down a dimly lit street right around the corner. It was empty compared to the busy and crowded street that Aurora and Phillip had been walking down. The only thing that stood out was a small Italian pizza place which had a huge banner outside advertising their pizza slice promotion: "Buy One, Get One Free!"

Standing a few feet away from the snack bar, just off the curb, was Aurora Hale. She held her hands up and her eyes closed, smiling blissfully at the night skies. Her orange beanie was already partially white due to all the snow, as well as her coat. But Aurora did not seem bothered by this. If anything, she seemed pleased by it!

Phillip's first instinct was to rush to her and scold her for disappearing like that. How dare she make him worry so much – he could have died of a heart attack! However, for some reason, simply _watching_ her as she stood there made all of his frustration disappear into thin air. His feet were almost glued to the floor as he gazed at her lovingly, swaying her arms around and laughing softly as the snowflakes landed on her nose.

"Now, isn't that a sight?" the old woman mused. Her faint smile turned into a worried frown. "That poor girl is going to get sick if she doesn't look for shelter soon! And God forbid she should walk into the middle of the street! It's awfully dangerous here. The cars seem to come out of nowhere!"

Phillip shook his head and blinked as the woman spoke. "Yes… yes, thank you," he said hesitantly, politely putting his hand on the woman's shoulder as he kept his gaze on Aurora. "I'll see to her now."

The woman looked up and instantly recognized the look on Phillip's face. His hand slipped off her shoulder as he slowly started making his way to the girl (who was, no doubt, a foreigner, for never had she seen someone stand there so mesmerized by something as trivial as snow). She shrugged with a small smile and wished him a good evening before turning around the corner and hurrying off to her destination.

Once Phillip was standing only a few feet away from Aurora, he came to a stop and leaned against the lamp post. Now that he was close enough, he could hear Aurora humming, and instantly recognized the tune as "That's All I Ask Of You" from _The Phantom of the Opera_. At any other time he would have joined her duet and embraced her softly, but right now he could only watch her, study her, and be blown away by her overwhelming beauty and grace. A small smile crossed his lips as he folded his arms over his chest. He tilted his head to the side and sighed very quietly, hoping he would not give his presence away just yet. He also watched attentively as she absentmindedly wandered off into the middle of the street. It was at this moment that Phillip stepped away from the pavement and took a few more steps closer to her. He stood by the curb and continued to watch her with his hands in his pockets.

A few seconds later, Aurora let down her hands and slowly opened her eyes. She gasped and took a quick step back in surprise when she realized she was standing in an unfamiliar place. She looked right and left and noticed she was standing in the middle of the street. Her instinct told her to hit the pavement as fast as she could, but something about this felt so… _liberating_. The adrenalin made her forget about the cold, and she didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that most of her clothes were already damp from the snow.

She turned around slowly, absorbing each moment that passed and trying to take mental photographs of it all so that she could remember it later. Her body stopped when her eyes rested on a tall slim figure standing by the curb, gazing back at her with that familiar gleam in his eyes. Her mouth broke into a huge grin. "It's snowing!" she said, clutching her hands together and holding them against her chin. "It's snowing and we're in New York City!"

Phillip chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Yes, it's true. And not only that, but we're also covered in snow." He shook his head. "If your aunts could see us now, they would not be impressed with me."

Aurora bit her lip with a smile. "Oh, but I don't want to leave just yet… I just…" She opened her arms again and looked up at the sky. "I just feel so _happy._"

Phillip smiled. "Well, that's mighty comforting to hear." He looked left and right to make sure no cars were coming then joined Aurora in the middle of the street. He took her hand and twirled her around.

Aurora giggled as she stretched herself away from Phillip then spun herself into his arms again. "Are you not happy too?"

Phillip looked down and gently tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. "I'm always happy as long as I'm with you. It doesn't matter to me whether we're in dancing on an empty street in Manhattan or living under the bridge in God-knows-where."

Aurora smiled. "I much prefer the first option," she teased.

Phillip pretended to consider it very seriously. "Well… living under a bridge does have its perks."

Aurora wrapped her arms around Phillip's neck. "Such as?"

Phillip responded by embracing her around the waist. "Well, for one, we wouldn't have to pay rent. Secondly, we could live close to the river… and I know how much you _love_ the river."

Aurora laughed. "Well, we would have to find a calm river so that you could swim in it every day. It would also help if the water was clean, seeing we would most likely have to use it to cook and clean and wash… But, what will we eat?"

Phillip sighed heavily, as if the question were a serious and profound one. At the same time he discreetly dragged Aurora with him to the curb, not being at rest until he was _sure_ they were out of danger. "I suppose we'd just have to get used to eating grass."

Aurora stepped up onto the curb so that her eyes were at the same level as Phillip's. "G-grass?"

Phillip nodded. "We couldn't eat the fish in the river because you're a vegetarian. I've never heard of fruit trees growing along the river shore…" He shrugged and sighed dramatically. "Grass it would have to be. Lets just hope we don't pick a place full of concrete! Then we'd most probably be in trouble."

"Hmm… I don't quite know what grass tastes like," Aurora remarked, trying to play along with Phillip (although it was much harder for her to keep such a straight face).

"Well, horses and cows eat it, so it can't be that bad." He paused and pulled a face. "How in the world did we end up having such a strange conversation?"

Aurora laughed at last as her arms slipped around Phillip's waist. She rest her head on his chest and sighed. "I don't know… and yet, I really don't mind." Aurora smiled to herself, realizing how lucky she was to be in love with a man she could talk to about anything. _Any_thing. They often had strange conversations which led to strange outcomes (and usually ended with Aurora unable to contain her laughter). However, it was also very usual to catch Aurora and Phillip in a very serious – and sometimes heated – conversation about the things they read in the news, about school, or even about ethics.

As she rest her head against his chest, Phillip ran his hands over her shoulders. He could tell her coat was damp even though he couldn't feel it because he wore thick leather gloves. It reminded him that it was best to head back to the hotel as soon as possible, yet at that very moment he desired only to reward himself with this comforting and heart-warming feeling. He looked up at the skies and noticed that it snowed less now, though under the dim light of the lamp post one could still make out a slight drizzle.

They both remained in silence for almost a minute, simply standing there in an embrace and letting the world slip by them. Perhaps because he was in such a peace of mind, Phillip was in no way prepared to hear what Aurora was about to say.

"I don't want you to go."

Her words, apart from confusing him, dragged him back into reality. He pulled back and looked down at her, seeing that her once radiant smile had now given place to a heartfelt frown. There was no longer a transparent happiness in her gaze… just concern and sadness.

"I…" Phillip's voice sounded croaky when he first tried to speak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Aurora shook her head, making it clear that Phillip had not understood what she meant. She pulled away from him and slowly walked up to the lamppost. Leaning against it, she embraced herself and looked down at the ground, her back facing Phillip. "To Harvard," she said bluntly. "I don't want you to go to Harvard."

Phillip felt a lump in his throat. He was finally hearing Aurora say what he had already grown suspicious of for quite a while now. They had never really spoken about him going to Harvard at the end of the school semester. They talked about _Harvard_ a lot – and Aurora was always keen to learn more about his plans for the future – but somehow none of them had actually wanted to discuss the fact that Phillip studying at Harvard meant that they could no longer be together. They would be hundreds of miles apart, leading different lives, meeting new people, studying dissimilar things… How could a long-distance relationship – or _any_ relationship, for that matter – survive something like that?

Phillip opened his mouth to speak, and at that moment realized that he didn't really know what to say. "I… I don't understand."

Aurora sighed in a way that allowed Phillip to tell that she was clearly upset. "I'm so happy for you, I really am," she began, her voice already starting to crack up. "I know you really want this and have worked your whole life to get it. I feel so… _cruel_ and selfish to be saying such a thing to you right now. It's not that I don't want you to go to Harvard, I just… I just don't want you to go _away_."

Phillip lowered his head and frowned sadly. Truth was… he didn't want to go Harvard either. He had never really told Aurora that, but he had never lied to her either. Going to Harvard Law School was something his _father_ wanted for him. It was a family tradition. An honor. A requirement for a decent career in law. Phillip didn't want to let his father down, so he made his best effort to turn his father's dream into _his_ dream. He could never deny that he was ecstatic when his admission letter from Harvard arrived. He had even gone out with Aurora and some friends to celebrate that night (and woke up with a mighty headache the next morning). He had almost conformed himself to the thought of following his father's career, but now Aurora's concern was resurrecting his _own_ hesitance.

"I… I _have_ to go," he said quietly. "You know that." Phillip wished now that Aurora would turn around and face him, because not being able to see her face was making it harder to understand her emotions.

"I know… I know." She finally turned around and leaned her back against the lamppost. The light seemed to emphasize on her tear-filled eyes. "I just wish it didn't have to be so soon."

Phillip smiled faintly, wishing he could bring a smile to Aurora's face again. "But… I don't have to go for another five months!"

"Yes, but _after_ that…"

Phillip took a step forward. "After that we'll only be a six hour drive away from each other." He held Aurora's hand. "Six _hours_. I can do that with my eyes closed!" He paused. "Well, not really, because driving with my eyes closed sounds awfully dangerous," he joked lightly, then scanned Aurora's face hoping to find a smile. She smiled very faintly, but it cheered him up nevertheless. "I'll come visit you, you'll come visit me… and it's not like we won't have Internet. We'll still get to see each other every day! I know I'm not as _attractive_ on webcam as I am in real life," he joked lightheartedly, "but it will have to do."

Aurora let out a small half-hearted laugh before wiping a tear from her eye. Then she tilted her head and sighed silently. "I'm so sorry, Phillip."

Phillip frowned in confusion. "Why are you apologizing?" He almost feared the answer.

"It's just…" She held onto his coat. "I'm not in position to tell what you should or should not do, and I feel awfully selfish for asking you to stay when I know you want to go."

Phillip sighed with relief, much to Aurora's surprise. He held onto the lamppost and leaned in closer to Aurora until their faces were only mere inches apart. "Aurora Rosemary Hale," he said calmly. He often called her by her full name whenever he was growing impatient or uptight, though this time he appeared to be… simply amused. "We are a couple," he stated. "You are my girlfriend. That means that you are in _every_ position to tell me exactly how you feel."

Aurora hesitated, but decided to follow Phillip's suggestion. "Well, I feel nervous whenever I think that in five months you and I will-" She stopped herself, wondering if it even made sense to be thinking of such a thing. Why couldn't she just enjoy the moment like Phillip so often did? Why did she always have to stop and think about whether or not this was the right thing, or if they were going in the right direction? Oddly enough, she knew too well the answers to all those questions, but often chose to ignore them.

"We'll what?" Phillip urged, swinging his body around the lamppost. Aurora seemed reluctant to give him an answer, so he stepped in for her. "Do you honestly think that I'd break up with you because I'm going to Harvard?"

Aurora felt slightly guilty upon hearing Phillip's question. Yes, the thought did cross her mind at the oddest of times. "Well… you're going to meet lots of wonderful new people," she pointed out. "You'll be working hard all the time, and surely you'll get involved in a lot of activities, and…"

"And so will you!" Phillip cut in. He stood in front of her now, staring at her intently. "It's all right to do new things," he said reassuringly. "It's all right to meet new people."

"Yes, but… what if you meet _someone_?" She hoped Phillip wouldn't ask her to clarify. She was having a hard time expressing her thoughts as it was!

"You mean, what if I fall in love with someone else?" The words flowed out of his mouth so easily, as if he had no worries at all.

Aurora shook her head quietly. "Hm-mm."

"Well…" Phillip took Aurora by the hands and pulled her towards him. Then he embraced her tightly and looked down at her with a small comforting smile. "I cannot guarantee that I will not fall in love with someone else while I'm away." He noticed Aurora frown but purposely ignored it. "But one thing I _can_ guarantee you… In order for me to fall in love with another girl, she has to meet the following requirements. One, she must be the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Two, she must sing like an angel. Three, she must be intelligent… but modest about it. Four, she must be a great dancer, and be willing to waltz with me at the oddest of times."

As he finished his sentence, Phillip put his hand on Aurora's waist and held up her other hand. He began waltzing around the pavement with a grin, enjoying the surprised look on Aurora's face who waltzed with him. "Five," he continued as they danced, "we must enjoy the same things – music, movies, musicals!" He stopped and twirled her around before embracing her again. "Six, she must be able to make me appreciate vegetarian dishes, even if I'm not a vegetarian myself. Seven…" Phillip leaned forward and teasingly brushed his nose against Aurora's. "Her kisses must behold the power to send me to the moon and back." She automatically closed her eyes, waiting for a kiss, but Phillip pulled back and turned her around until her back was facing him. He put his hands on her shoulders and stood behind her.

"Eight! She must be kind and caring, and not only to those she cherishes. Of course, this includes animals too." He slipped his hands underneath her arms and rest his chin on her shoulder. "Nine… she must have a lovely family who treats me as their son." At last, he turned her around and faced her again. "And ten… she must love me for who I am, and always find new ways to remind me of it."

He sighed then smiled down at her. "If I find a girl who meets all those requirements, then she'll be almost as good as you. But there's one requirement no girl will ever be able to meet." He leaned forward and whispered, "She'll never be _you_."

Aurora looked up and offered Phillip that radiant smile she knew he loved. Her worries had all faded away and she found herself falling deeply in love all over again. "Well," she began cheerfully, "in _that_ case, I shall list my requirements too!"

She slipped away from Phillip's grasp and started taking small steps along the curb, spreading her arms out like a ballerina and looking down at her tiny feet as they moved across the line. "One, he must be charming and polite… like a prince!"

Phillip put his hands on his hips playfully and whistled. "Wow, you're not demanding at all!" He slowly walked behind Aurora, following her along the curb with his hands in his pockets.

Aurora glanced back at him and giggled before resuming her ballerina pose. "Two, he must be a man with good taste."

"Refined and classy, I quite agree," Phillip remarked, faking a posh British accent.

"Three, he must be a fine dancer and whisk me away when I least expect it!" Aurora stroke a small pose with her foot up in the air, then laughed as she stood upright again.

"Now, now, you stole that one from me!" Phillip reprimanded playfully.

"Four," Aurora continued, pretending to ignore Phillip's little side remarks. "He must be an excellent cook, and not mind preparing delicious vegetarian dishes for me even though he loves steak and chips."

Phillip rubbed his stomach and licked his lips. "I almost feel like I haven't had a steak in _years_!"

Aurora stuck her tongue out playfully before hopping back onto the pavement and spinning around. "Five! He must know when to finish my duets, and it won't hurt if he has a dreamy voice too," she added thoughtfully.

"My, my, you really _are_ picky!" He caught her hand as she spun around then pulled her closer to him with a smile.

Aurora smiled back dreamingly. "Hmm, six… He must have the patience to teach me new card games every week, and not feel bad whenever I beat him."

Phillip pressed his hand against his chest and shook his head dramatically. "The world is filled with bad losers these days."

"Seven…" Aurora smiled faintly as she wrapped her arms around Phillip's neck. "He must know how to play a good Zorro, and amuse me with his funny Spanish accent."

Phillip wiggled his eyebrows. "Aye, aye, señorita!"

Aurora threw her head back and laughed, then cupped Phillip's face in her hands and gazed at him lovingly. "Eight." She lowered her voice into a whisper. "He must be willing to take a four-hour drive on New Year's Eve just to surprise me in front of all my friends, then sing with me on the rooftops without a care in the world!"

"Even if you wake up with a cold the next day?" Phillip whispered back teasingly.

Aurora grinned, grateful for his remark as it reminded her of another thing she loved about Phillip. "Nine!" she said out loud. "When I'm sick, he must tend to me, make me soup, and lay by my side all night in case I wake up."

Phillip nodded his head slowly. "I daresay – you'll never find a man like that!" he joked. He spun her around then pressed her back against the wall.

Aurora laughed, unable to contain her cheerfulness. "I used to think so too," she confessed. "But then…" Her laughter died out as she considered the importance of what she was about to say. "But then I met you," she said quietly. "And suddenly fairytales don't exist only in books anymore."

Phillip smiled faintly. "And love doesn't just exist once upon a dream?"

Aurora let her head fall back and sighed blissfully. "Ex_act_ly."

Phillip pulled his glove off his hand with his teeth then shoved it into his pocket. At first Aurora frowned in confusion, wondering why he was taking his glove off when the air was so cold, but then it quickly hit her. He raised his hand to her cheek and softly caressed it. She knew very well that Phillip loved to touch her, for he did so many times whenever they sat out on the lawn on a sunny day. She could feel the warmth of his skin as it injected her whole body with a new adrenalin. Aurora closed her eyes under Phillip's touch and felt him draw nearer to her.

"What about number ten?" he whispered, his gaze fixed on Aurora's lips (which had turned slightly purple from the cold). He let his fingertips slide gently across her lower lip, touching them softly. He savored the moment, enjoying this sense of intimacy which, unfortunately, he wasn't allowed too often.

Aurora eyelids opened slowly as she smiled beneath his touch. "Ten…" she whispered back slowly, letting the suspense fill the air. "He should know exactly how and when to kiss me."

Phillip grinned at the hint and, without hesitating, leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, but none of them seemed to be bothered by it. They lost themselves in a deep kiss, forgetting the world, their worries, their studies, their families… and anything else that could ever dare to come between them.

After a few seconds, Phillip pulled back and smirked as he licked his lips.

Aurora looked at him in confusion. "What? What is it?" she whispered, disappointed that he had pulled back so soon.

"Nothing," Phillip murmured, leaning forward again. "It's just that I can _still_ taste that caramel macchiato," he added before kissing her again.


	3. Chapter 3

Later on that night, after Phillip and Aurora finally reached their hotel room, they were both feeling wet and cold. Ever the gentleman, Phillip suggested that Aurora take a nice hot shower first, and while she did so he secretly ran out to a nearby convenience store and bought them some ice-cream. He was disappointed that they had run out of his favorite flavor – strawberry – but was quite relieved to see they still had French-vanilla, Aurora's first choice. He got her a small tub of that and chocolate ice-cream for himself, then quickly ran upstairs hoping Aurora hadn't come out of the shower yet.

As he walked into the room, he could hear her humming in the shower. He recognized the song as being a show tune from the musical _Chicago_, called "Nowadays". Phillip sneakily pressed his ear against the door to listen more closely, but very soon his mind started wandering off and imagining… _other_ things. Things he had been trying hard _not_ to think about, especially in Aurora's presence. Suddenly the water stopped running and he could hear Aurora opening the shower door. He quickly hid their ice-cream in the mini-fridge then prepared his pajamas and his towel so that he could be ready to take a shower himself once Aurora came out.

When she finally walked out of the bathroom, she already had her pajamas on (pink baggy pants and a small white top) and was drying her hair with a towel. She saw Phillip laying on his bed, reading a book about Corporate Law. She smiled faintly and shook her head. "I thought we had agreed no studying this weekend," she teased.

Phillip put down the book (which he hadn't really been reading) and smiled up at Aurora before hopping off the bed. "I wasn't studying," he argued. "I was just… waiting for you to come out." He gave her a small peck on the cheek then grabbed his belongings and walked into the bathroom. "Have you called your aunts yet?" he called out to her from inside as he began to take off his clothes.

Aurora picked up her phone from the dressing table and checked the display screen. "No, not yet," she called back to him as she hung the towel over the chair and ran her fingers through her damp hair. "I did text them before the show started, and since they didn't try to call since, I suppose they're not too worried."

"Huh." Phillip turned on the water. He spoke louder now, trying to make himself heard over the water. "Well, it's too late to call them now. It's already past midnight!"

Aurora checked her phone to confirm that Phillip was telling the truth. "Midnight already?" she said in surprise. "Why, I barely noticed the day go by!"

"I know," Phillip agreed. "And to tell the truth, I am not looking forward to catching a flight back to Disney tomorrow."

Aurora felt torn. On one hand, being away from everyone and everything had felt quite liberating. She loved Disney College, but all the pressure became quite overwhelming at times. On the other hand, she couldn't want to get back and tell Jane Porter and all her friends about New York, the show, the people, the lights… It was all so exciting and new to Aurora – something she just _had_ to share with them. With these happy thoughts she sat in front of the mirror and began to comb her long silky blonde hair, while she waited for Phillip to finish taking his shower.

Fifteen minutes later, Phillip walked out of the bathroom wearing a white t-shirt and navy blue boxers, and his towel over his shoulders. He tossed his towel on top of Aurora's and shuffled his damp hair before falling onto his bed and looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. Aurora put down her comb and joined him by sitting on the edge of the bed.

She rest a hand on his leg and smiled down at him. "Are you tired?"

Phillip yawned. "Not really," he lied. He didn't want to go to sleep just yet, knowing that he probably would have a chance to spend a night with Aurora so soon. He sat up slowly and placed his hands behind his head. "We could play a game," he suggested. "How about… a game of chess?" he smirked.

Aurora eyed him playfully. "How about a game I have a _chance_ of beating you at?" She knew the basic rules of the game, but was far from coming up with the intelligent strategies that came to Phillip so naturally. She only agreed to play chess with him whenever Phillip was feeling down, because winning a game against her always cheered him up.

Phillip chuckled. "All right, all right." He gave it some thought. "How about… a game of General Knowledge?"

Aurora grinned. "Deal!" She quickly went to her bag and pulled out two blank sheets of paper from a folder, along with two pens. She gave a pen and a sheet of paper to Phillip and kept the rest for herself. Then, they both proceeded to create six columns on their sheet and give each column a respective title: Name, City, Animal, Brand, Food, Object. The game was easy, and often proved to be quite fun. They'd take turns at selecting a random letter off the alphabet. Then, once given a sign, they would both have to try and think of a word beginning with the chosen letter, then fit it under the respective column. The first one to complete the row would yell 'pens down!', obliging the other player to stop writing. Then they'd proceed to compare the words they had written. If they happened to write down the same word, they'd each get one point. If one of them wrote down a valid word and the other left the field empty, then the first would be awarded with two points. In case they both wrote down different words with the same letter, they'd both get two points. In the end, the player with the most points won the game. Of course, the secret to winning the game was trying to think of uncommon words to win the two points… and be as fast as they could, in order to beat the other player.

Aurora sat on her bed, crossing her legs beneath her. Phillip had especially requested a room with two twin beds, and even so asked Aurora if she was comfortable sleeping in the same room as him. She didn't mind it the least – they often fell asleep together on a couch at Disney College _any_way – but had thanked Phillip for his consideration. Even after she discovered that Phillip was not a virgin, she had never felt uncomfortable around him, nor did she ever feel pressured to engage in any sort of sexual activity with him. He was a gentleman – as he should be – and respected Aurora's space and wishes.

At times she only wondered if indeed he felt the same way as her and thought it was wise to wait before they consummate their relationship… or if, deep down inside, Phillip was growing impatient.

"All right, I'll pick a letter first!" she announced, clearing the thoughts from her head. "You must say the alphabet in your head then wait until I say 'Stop!'".

Phillip nodded in agreement and closed his eyes. He leaned his head against the bed frame and pretended to be mentally singing the alphabet. In truth, however, Phillip was thinking of something _entirely_ different.

He loved Aurora and yearned for her well-being in their relationship, but, like (almost) every 21 year old man, he had begun to wonder when Aurora would feel comfortable enough to take their relationship to the next level. It was becoming harder and harder to hide his sexual appetite in front of her, and he felt almost ashamed to ask her to make love to him. It was a step, he believed, that they had to take together and in mutual agreement, and sometimes he feared that his desire would make Aurora feel pressured into doing something she didn't really want to do. But when would she be ready? When could he at last make love to the girl he loved?

"Stop!"

Phillip opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. He discreetly took in a deep breath and tried to wipe all his thoughts away.

"I said _stop_!" Aurora insisted, looking at him with big eyes.

Phillip looked back at her and grinned like a small schoolboy. "You said what?" he mocked.

"Phil_lip_!" she whined, grabbing a pillow and tossing it at him.

Phillip laughed as he ducked and covered his face, then picked up the pillow Aurora had thrown at him. "All right, all right!" he surrendered. He quickly chose a random letter. "B for… believe."

Aurora immediately put her pen down to her paper.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Phillip scoffed, tossing the pillow back at her. "You're cheating. You have to wait for me to give you the signal."

Aurora rolled her eyes playfully and put her pen down. "All right, go on th-."

"GO!" He had barely finished saying the word when he began scribbling on his sheet of paper.

Aurora gasped, ready to scold Phillip for purposely trying to outrun her, but decided to waste no more time and started writing down all the words that sprung to her mind.

Fifteen seconds had passed and she was still half-way. She glanced at Phillip nervously and noticed that he was looking down at his sheet, ever so calmly and with a smirk on his face. It made her feel more nervous than before, for she assumed that Phillip was probably almost done. She hurriedly looked down and wrote down another word which had just sprung to mind, but before she could move onto the next column, she heard Phillip yell the words she had been dreading to hear: "Pens down!"

At that exact moment, Aurora remembered the name of a city. She bit her tongue and tried to quickly jot the word down without Phillip noticing, but unfortunately he was more attentive than he thought.

"Aurora! Pens down!" Phillip grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Aurora.

She swatted it out of her way with a giggle. "All right, all right, I surrender!" She put her pen down and held up her sheet. "Very well, then. Name?"

Phillip looked at his paper for a few seconds before answering. "Benjamin."

Aurora grinned. "Briana!" She triumphantly wrote down the number two next to the word.

"Animal?"

Aurora looked up at Phillip. "Bird."

Phillip chuckled. "I knew you'd pick that." He jovially pointed his pen at her. "Beaver."

"Oh, well done!" she said cheerfully. "That's four points for the two of us!" She looked down at her sheet. "Food?"

Phillip paused for a moment, then looked up in thought. "Bacon." He wrote down something on his paper.

Aurora glanced at her sheet to see what word she had written. "Broccoli!"

Phillip pulled a face. "Dreadful! Only you'd pick a word like that." He pulled his tongue out at Aurora playfully then sighed. "Brand?"

Aurora grinned, remembering exactly which word she had chosen for this category. "Ben & Jerry's!"

At first Phillip widened his eyes, then smiled and shook his head. "Ben & Jerry's!"

"Oh, snap!" Aurora hissed, upset that she hadn't managed to come up with something more original. She noticed Phillip scribbling something on his paper, and first assumed he was writing down the points. But something seemed fairly odd… She twitched her nose thoughtfully. "City?"

Phillip closed his eyes for a second before turning to Aurora with a smirk. "Berlin."

Aurora looked down embarrassedly. "Object?" she said quietly.

"Hold on…" Phillip perked up. "I didn't hear your city." His grin grew wider, as if he already knew what Aurora was going to say.

"I… I didn't have time to finish writing it," she admitted.

"Ha!" Phillip cried triumphantly. He went on to write a note on his sheet. "That's two points for me and _zero_ for you."

Aurora sighed deeply and shook her head in disappointment. "You were too fast for me! I still can't believe you managed to write all those words in such a little amount of ti-" She stopped mid-sentence and looked at Phillip with wide eyes. "Hold on… show me your sheet."

Phillip defensively pulled away, a small smirk on his face. "Show you my sheet? Now why would I do something like _that_?"

Aurora stood up and took a step towards Phillip's bed with her hands on her hips. "You couldn't possibly finish your row in such a little amount of time," she pointed out. "Besides, I noticed you scribbling something earlier…" She tapped her foot impatiently. "Go on, then! Show me your answers!"

Phillip gasped playfully, clutching his sheet against his chest. "I can't _possibly_ believe I'm hearing such insinuations. Are you…" He curled up in his bed and hid the sheet away from Aurora. "Are you calling me a _cheater_?"

"I'll believe it when I see it," Aurora stated before she reached out her arm and tried to snatch the paper from Phillip. He stretched his arm in the opposite direction, obliging her to come closer and lean over the edge of his bed.

Phillip chuckled, enjoying the suspicious look on Aurora's face. "Now, now, Aurora," he reprimanded playfully. "Try to be reasonable here!"

Even more suspicious than before, Aurora resorted to her most foul tactic: tickling Phillip. She climbed onto his bed – much to his surprise – and tickled him all over his stomach.

"No, _no_!" Phillip laughed. "This is unfair! You can't do that!"

Aurora giggled with him, and a few seconds later was finally able to snatch the paper from his hand. She looked down at it… and gasped. "There's nothing written here!" she said in shock. Aurora showed Phillip the sheet of paper and pointed at it incredulously. "There are no words on it! Only scribbles!" She crunched up the paper into a big ball and threw it at Phillip. "You were _cheating_!"

Phillip laughed even harder than before. "I wasn't – I swear! I…" He winced as Aurora eyed him menacingly then knelt on the bed beside him. "I was just… making mental notes!"

"You were cheating!" Aurora repeated, though as upset as she might have been feeling, she was unable to contain her laughter. "Just admit that I'm better at this game than you are and it will be settled," she teased.

Phillip grabbed Aurora's hands before she could tickle him any further. "What?" he gasped. "You? Better than _me_?" Without warning he grabbed Aurora and pulled her down, then pinned her to his bed and towered over her. "_Never_," he smirked.

Aurora shook her head with a grin. She tried to lift herself but Phillip's grip was tight and barely allowed her to move an inch. "I demand you let me go at once!"

Phillip rolled his eyes. "You're acting rather demanding tonight," he retorted playfully. "I thought _I_ was the man in the relationship."

Aurora pinned her chin up. "Real men don't _cheat_," she scoffed.

Phillip sighed deeply. "I see how it is." He reluctantly let go of Aurora and lay on his back beside her. "I am obviously not fit to be your knight in shining armor." He feigned a sad sigh and closed his eyes. "What a shame… I suppose I'll have to find someone else to give that tub of French-Vanilla ice-cream to…"

Aurora looked at Phillip in surprise. "…French-Vanilla ice-cream?"

Phillip nodded. "Hm-mm." He turned to Aurora and smirked when he saw the look on her face. "Don't tell me it's your favorite flavor."

Aurora offered Phillip a tilted smile, knowing that he knew exactly what her favorite flavor is. She towered over Phillip and shyly put a hand on his chest. "What tub?" she whispered.

Phillip got up and walked over to the mini-fridge. He opened the door and pulled out the two small tubs of ice-cream which he had bought earlier while Aurora was in the shower, along with two plastic spoons. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and lifted the two tubs in the air, one on each hand. "French-Vanilla or chocolate – what _ever_ will I have tonight?" he mocked.

Aurora sat up and gave him a sheepish look. "You couldn't _possibly_ have them both. You'll be left with a sore stomach!"

Phillip pretended to weigh his options. "Hmm… I wonder… What would a _real_ man do?"

Catching his hint, Aurora got on her knees and crawled over to Phillip. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the cheek. "He'd do whatever his heart tells him to do," she said softly. "And I have a feeling your heart tells you that it's better to give me the French-vanilla ice-cream."

Phillip put the chocolate ice-cream on the side-table then slowly opened the tub of French-Vanilla ice-cream. "I'm pretty sure that's what _your_ heart says. _My_ heart…" He paused as he teasingly dug the spoon into the ice-cream. "My heart tells me that if you want a piece of this smooth… tasty… sweet French Vanilla ice-cream…" He scooped some ice-cream onto the spoon and mockingly waved it around. "You're going to have to apologize."

Aurora pulled back from Phillip and sat down on the bed with her legs crossed. "_Apologize_?"

Phillip nodded. "You said it. Apologize for accusing me of cheating, and resorting to foul tactics in order to steal my sheet of paper."

"You can hardly blame me for doing what I did," Aurora retorted, folding her arms with a smirk. She lay her head on Phillip's pillow, pretending not to care about the ice-cream anymore. "And I will never apologize to you!"

Phillip sighed. "Well, then. I suppose I'll just _have_ to eat this all by myself…" He slipped the spoon of ice-cream into his mouth then savored it nice and slowly. "Mmm…"

Aurora shook her head with a small smile as she lifted her leg and playfully poked Phillip's waist. "You don't even _like_ French-vanilla," she pointed out.

"Correction," Phillip cut in. "I _didn't_ like French-vanilla, but that's because I had never really tried it. Now I realize why you like it so much, and why you were never willing to share it with me," he teased. "Well… vengeance is served."

Aurora closed her eyes tightly and curled up her legs, realizing that watching Phillip eat her favorite ice-cream did not help the temptation at all. For that reason, she didn't notice as Phillip leaned forward with a smirk on his face. He lay down beside her and scooped another spoon of ice-cream. "Soft and tempting," he whispered in her ear, in attempt to make her even more jealous than she already was. "It melts on your tongue and slides down your neck, taking you back to those nice and warm Spring afternoons during which we lay back on the grass and counted the birds in the sky…" He ate another spoonful of ice-cream. "Mmm… Paris," he decided. "This sweet taste reminds me of Paris."

He stretched his arm over Aurora and put the ice-cream container on top of the side-table. Then, at last, he slipped his arm underneath Aurora and rest his head next to hers on the pillow. She opened her eyes slowly and turned to him with a loving gaze. "Tell me more about Paris," she asked in a whisper, shifting closer to him to absorb the warmth of his body.

"Paris," he began, "is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It blows you away with its history, its charm, its lights and its atmosphere. One day…" He lifted a finger to her lips and softly caressed them. "One day I will take you there. We will walk the streets of the River Gauche after sunrise, while the shopkeepers are still cleaning up, getting ready to open. You'll finally taste a sweet and soft croissant accompanied with French coffee, while we watch people pass by on the street, ever so cheerful. I must take you to the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris so that, like me, you can be taken away by its magnificent architecture and profound history. Then…" Phillip shifted closer to Aurora and smiled lovingly as he watched her eyes slowly begin to close. "We'll climb up the steps of the tower, so that we can gaze upon the same breathtaking view as the gargoyles do every day." He ran his fingers over her cheek.

Aurora smiled beneath Phillip's touch, imagining his descriptions in her head.

"Then," he continued, "we'll walk along the Isle de Saint Louis so that you can do some shopping on the Champs Elysees. But we won't be there too long," he added playfully, "for if you are like all the other women, you are bound to get lost among all those enormous stores. As the sun starts to set, I'll take you to a café window near the Paris Opera house, and if it's your wish we can even go inside in search of the Phantom," he said with a small chuckle. "For dinner, there's nothing like going to a restaurant near Gare de Nord, and once the sun has set and given place to the bright moon… we'll climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower and overlook the city at night. Then, Aurora, I'll take you in my arms and kiss you… like this." He leaned over her and pressed his lips gently against hers.

Aurora smiled then cupped his face with her hands. "I suppose that's the closest I'll get to tasting French-vanilla tonight," she whispered teasingly as she pulled Phillip down for another kiss. He responded by lifting himself slightly above her and slipping his arm behind her neck as he gently towered over her. She made herself comfortable beneath him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kiss by kiss, inch by inch, Phillip's hand slowly made its way down Aurora's neck until it rest on her stomach.

She was so lost in his kiss that she barely noticed it when Phillip slipped his hand under her shirt, the warmth of his skin rapidly blending with hers. She _did_ notice, however, when his hand moved upwards, until it gently cupped her breast. She pulled back and let go of Phillip. "No, wait," she murmured.

Phillip's muscles tensed. He involuntarily held onto her tighter, even though he could feel Aurora trying to push him away.

Aurora frowned as she tried to sit up. "Phillip, _please_."

At last Phillip released the pressure inside of him and plopped himself onto the bed beside Aurora. He let out a deep sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Why not?" His voice dripped with despair.

Aurora finally sat up and curled her knees up against her chest. "I'm just… not ready yet."

Phillip sighed again. "Will you _ever_ be ready, Aurora Hale?" He sat up next to her. "Or is there something you're not telling me?" Lately it had become easier to read Aurora's thoughts just by studying the look in her eyes. Right now her gaze beheld a slight uncertainty blended with a tinge of fear.

"I just…" Aurora shrugged and shyly looked away from Phillip. "I've never done it before, and… I just feel like we should wait a little longer."

Phillip rubbed his face with his hands. "I just don't understand," he confessed, his voice still slightly harsh. "Are you scared I might hurt you? Do I make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Oh, no, it's not _that_," Aurora quickly interjected. "It's just…" She began fiddling with a lock of hair which hung over her shoulder. "I just feel there's a lot we should do _before_ we start to… you know…"

"To make love?" Phillip jumped in, always eager to say the words Aurora was unable to express. "I don't understand – what 'things' do you speak of?"

Aurora sighed as she tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. "It's such a big step… So many things could go wrong! Have you never heard of those dreadful diseases? Or, or… girls, my age, falling _pregnant_!"

Out of all of the concerns he imagined Aurora could have, Phillip never would have bet on _those_. "Of course we'll use protection," he stated bluntly. "I've been carrying condoms around with me since I was seventeen!" He noticed Aurora shoot a glance at him. "Not that I've ever _used_ them," he added quickly. "But Aurora, I swear, you have nothing to worry about." He sat up next to her and leaned his head against the bed frame as he looked down at her tenderly. "You know I will never force you into anything, but I don't want you to live in constant fear either. You could… start taking the pill," he suggested. "And if it's diseases you're worried about, I'll schedule an appointment at the doctor and run some tests."

Aurora looked up at him with a faint smile. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

Phillip chuckled as he put his arm around Aurora and gently squeezed her. "Of course! I can tell you now that they'll all come back negative, but it's best to be sure."

Aurora was overcome by a sudden sense of relief. "Oh, thank you, Phillip. I… I never thought you'd do such a thing! I was always so sure you'd think of my worries as petty and foolish."

Phillip tilted his head. "Petty, perhaps… but never foolish." He kissed her softly on her temple. "I understand, truly. I wished I could have given my first time this much thought. I just want yours to be truly unforgettable. For the right reasons, that is."

Aurora rest her head on Phillip's shoulder. "I really want you to be the one," she said softly.

Phillip smiled faintly. "I will be." He sighed. "Whenever you're ready, I will be. But right now…" He pulled back from Aurora and turned around facing the edge of the bed. "I think I need to take a shower."

Aurora frowned in confusion. "Another one?"

Phillip stood up from the bed with a groan. "Unfortunately… and a cold one too." He stretched his back with his hand on his torso, then grabbed his towel and awkwardly made his way to the bathroom.

Aurora sighed deeply once she heard Phillip turn on the water, then slowly got off his bed and slipped into her own one. Although relieved, Aurora felt slightly guilty. This weekend had been perfect – the _moment_ had felt perfect – yet there was always a concern in the back of her mind which forbid her from going all the way and giving Phillip what, she knew, he desired. She tucked herself underneath her blankets and looked up at the ceilings for a few seconds, lost in thought.

By the time Phillip came out ten minutes later, Aurora was already fast asleep. He made his way over to her first and kissed her softly on the forehead, then got into his bed and turned off the lights.

He was reluctant to close his eyes because he knew that, the moment he did, their perfect Valentine Weekend would be over. Instead he turned around in his sheets until he was facing Aurora's bed and simply lay there gazing at her under the very dim moonlight that pierced through the window. He tried to imagine what his life would have been like if he hadn't met her. Ever since Aurora Hale had come into his life, Phillip felt like he was riding on a never-ending rollercoaster ride. Over the past months, she had made him experience emotions he had never felt before. She had the ability to boast his self-esteem while making him doubt himself at the same time. She had taught him to love another for the first time, and make him want her so bad that sometimes he felt physically ill when thinking about all the obstacles they had overcome – and had yet to overcome – in order to be together.

He was Phillip Van Dyke, the senior resident advisor from the big city, who was obliged to know better and live under the pressure of always having to do the right thing.

She was Aurora Hale, the naïve freshman from a small town whose life had just begun, and whose heart was as a fragile as a flower in spring.

She taught him how to live. He taught her how to love.

THE END


End file.
